The present invention is directed to a holder and tray assembly for holding test tubes and other similar type articles in a manner which permits the easy manipulation and transportation of the tubes in a safe and secure manner and for pre-positioning of the test tubes so that the test tube can be quickly and easily used in a dri-bath incubator.
In the prior art, test tube holders are typically used for transporting of test tubes and are often placed in a water bath or laboratory incubator. However, these typical prior art test tube holders do not lend themselves to providing easy, simultaneous insertion of test tubes into a dri-bath incubator. At the present time, when test tubes are to be placed into the heating block of a dri-bath incubator, the tubes must be individually taken from the rack and placed in the wells provided in the heating block for receiving the test tubes.
Various methods for biological and chemical analysis and culture testing require the extensive handling, manipulation and transporting of rack held test tubes. It is very desirable that the test tubes be held firmly in position in the holder during this transportation and manipulation. Various systems have been suggested in which to firmly hold the test tube within the rack such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,122. The '122 reference uses a plurality of individual O-ring type structures associated with each individual hole. The O-ring is made out of a resilient material which frictionally engages the periphery of a test tube and holds it securely in position in the rack. This holder is a relatively complex configuration requiring relatively expensive manufacturing techniques and is limited only to the transporting of test tubes. Tubes must be individually removed and then placed in a well of an appropriate heating block of a dri-bath incubator.
The present invention provides a novel test tube rack and tray assembly which includes means for the pre-positioning of test tubes and for the simultaneous insertion of test tubes in the heating block of a dri-bath incubator. Additionally the test tube holder has means for firmly and securely holding the test tubes during transportation and manipulation of the holder, which is simple in construction and easy to manufacture.